General Topics

Are Torontonians Spending Too Much Time Commuting?

Published on 2014-05-07 in the Huffington Post

Toronto’s long commute times have become a constant refrain dominating the public discourse. Many believe that the commute times are excessive. However, if the laws of physics and common sense were to prevail, Toronto’s 33-minute one-way commutes make perfect sense.

Commuting and congestion in Toronto have long been a source of concern and debate. As early as in July 1948, The Globe and Mail published stories of gridlocked downtown Toronto, calling it the “suffering acres.” The recent discourse, however, is prejudiced against Toronto’s average commute times, which are the highest in Canada. Remedial measures to shorten Toronto’s long commutes are being proposed, whereas commuters (mostly drivers) and transport planners are being criticized for creating rather than solving the problem.